Love Is Not a Maybe Thing
by RedHollowGirlx
Summary: "Maybe, Rory?" He scoffed at her, "Love is not a maybe thing. You know when you love someone!" Jess said vehemently. Re-write of The Real Paul Anka. First ONESHOT in six years so don't be too harsh ;) [Rating for slight language]


A/N: Oh my God! Words could not possibly describe just how excited I am to have finally gotten enough inspiration to FINISH something GG-related since I've been reading here again and re-watching the series. It just came to me yesterday out of the blue at work! I think I'll have to thank Lauren Conrad for it considering that quote got my brain churning. Okay I'm officially rambling now so just read on and tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: Don't own...

–

**Love Is Not a Maybe Thing**

"So, you fixed everything?" Jess asked her, the question was loaded and Rory knew it, but she nodded anyway.

"Yeah, everything's fixed," she told him quietly, smiling tightly as she thought to herself, _Almost everything._

"I'm glad you're here," he told her honestly, leaning closer to her almost imperceptibly.

"Me too," Rory whispered, letting her eyes flutter shut as he closed the gap and kissed her tentatively.

When Rory responded to his lips Jess applied just the tiniest bit more pressure and moved his hand from her knee to her hip before she abruptly pulled back. She was detached and standing so quickly it was as if he had burned her. Jess looked up at her confused and furrowed his brow.

"What?" He breathed the question to her, confused.

"I'm sorry." Rory was shaking her head, hands wrapped around her stomach defensively.

"About what?"

"Ah, about coming here like this. I just got the flier, and I don't know. I just wanted to see your place, but then this... it's not fair to you. I'm such a jerk," she rambled off.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"And I couldn't even cheat on him the way he cheated on me," she continued, almost as if he wasn't even there anymore.

"Who? Who cheated on y...that guy?" Jess sighed and shook his head. "You're still with him." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yeah," she confessed with a sigh.

"I thought everything was fixed," Jess reminded her of her half-answer earlier.

Rory looked down and bit her lip before responding, "Everything except him."

"I hate this," he deadpanned.

"You should. I'm sorry."

"You came here alone—to Philadelphia!" Jess said incredulously.

"He was out of town," she intoned. 

With a warning tone in his voice he stated the obvious, "I don't deserve this, Rory."

"No, you don't. You don't deserve it. I just... I'm in love with him. Despite all the bad he's done, I can't help it. I'm in love with him...maybe?" She bit her lip and trailed off, looking down and away from Jess. She folded her arms across her stomach again and tried to avoid his eyes because then he would see. He would see that she was lying.

"Maybe, Rory?" He scoffed at her. "Love is not a maybe thing. You know when you love someone!" Jess said vehemently.

Rory slowly let a smirk form on her lips which quite closely resembled a certain teenage hoodlum from back in the day. She put a hand over her mouth to try and hide it, but a small giggle escaped her mouth before she could swallow it. She put her other hand up, waving at him in apology.

"I'm sorry...but did you just quote Lauren Conrad? MTV reality show star? I didn't know you were into that sort of thing," her smirk was full-blown now and she was openly mocking him, "I mean, to each their own but I just have to know—"

"Rory that's not—"

"—are you a Stephen fan or a Jason fan? I personally think you would connect more with Jason—he was the bad boy after all—but hey! You could very well be a closet Stephen fanatic." She had a grin on her face a mile wide that reached her eyes and her hands were firmly planted on her hips.

He sighed and tried to hide his own grin, looking off to the side over her shoulder. "That was not the point, Rory." She loved the way he said her name, still. "And no, I do not watch those ridiculous shows. I must have seen it somewhere or heard it from someone else." She continued to grin mockingly at him. "Quit your mocking." He gave her his best menacing glare then sobered up and dropped his arms to his sides. "No matter who said it, it's true. You don't _maybe_ love someone, Rory. Be honest with yourself. Would you even be here if you really were in love with him? I seem to remember a similar situation a few years back that included a forbidden kiss as well."

Rory chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully, trying to process what he was saying. Her mind was running a mile a minute—she could barely keep up.

"Can I—can I just step outside a second? I need to make a call. I swear I'll come right back." She pleaded with him, widening her eyes, hoping he could see she was telling the truth.

He just nodded and watched as she walked outside. He sat back down and sighed, waiting. Always waiting.

–

Rory stood against the brick wall outside the door of Trucheon and hit number one on her speed dial. She listened to it ring three times before it finally picked up.

"Hello! Welcome to Rudy's House of Midgets, how can we pleasure you this evening?" Lorelai greeted with her usual exaggerations.

Rory smiled warmly and rolled her eyes at her mother's antics. "Mom, it's me."

"Offspring! To what do I owe this fine pleasure this evening?"

"I'm in Philadelphia." Rory deadpanned.

Lorelai choked on what could only presumably be coffee and sputtered her next words, "W-what? Philly? Jess is in Philly, Rory. Luke is in Philly visiting Jess, Rory. What is_ Rory_ doing in Philly, Rory?" Lorelai shot these questions at her rapid fire then took a deep breath audibly over the phone and spoke again. "Rory, honey, sweetie, fruit of my loins—why are you in Philadelphia seeing Jess?"

"I just—I got the invitation and I wanted to see his place," she told her mother, tucking her hair behind her ear nervously.

Lorelai scoffed, "I'm sorry, did you give him that same lame excuse? Where is Logan?"

"He's out of town." Rory paused and Lorelai let her, waiting patiently for Rory to process. When she spoke again it was hesitantly at first, "Mom, we kissed. He kissed me and I kissed him back then stood up and I just—couldn't. Not to Logan and _not_ with _Jess_," she was on a roll now going into a complete ramble, "_Mom_, I told him that I MAYBE was in love with Logan! _Maybe_, Mom!"

"Rory, honey—"

"Love is _not_ a maybe thing! You—"

"—know when you love someone. Yes, I know Lauren," Lorelai said seriously.

Rory sighed in frustration, "Been there, done that!"

Lorelai snickered, but stayed silent.

"Mom, I don't love Logan...do I?" Rory questioned quietly.

"No, sweetie, I don't think you do. Not the way you though you did, anyway. Can I talk now?" She asked gently.

"Yeah," barely audible.

"I hate to say this babe, but, doesn't this story sound familiar to you? I know that I've never exactly been a _fan_ of Jess _per se_—"

"You wanted to castrate him."

"—but I admire the way he has turned himself around. Good for him. He's got brownie points for making you go back to Yale and come back to me. For as long as you have known him, he's always just...shown up and in some way, shape, or form affected your life. Don't you think that has to _mean_ something, Ror?" Lorelai chewed on her lip thoughtfully, waiting for Rory to respond.

Rory paced back and fourth in front of the door of Trucheon for a full minute after Lorelai had finished her rant. She knew that her mother could hear all her sighing and humming over the phone. Her mind went through an entire flashback flip book of all her memories with Jess—the good, the bad, _and_ the ugly—and she squeezed her eyes shut. How did she not see this pattern before? She shook her head and though out a response for her mom.

"Mom, I need to make another call. I'll call you in the morning, yeah?" Rory pleaded, trying to convey that she understood and she was going to fix it.

Lorelai sighed with relief, "Yeah," she obliged softly.

"Bye, Mom. I love you."

"Love you more, kid. Bye." Lorelai hung up and rolled back over, resting her head back onto her pillow. She smiled and slowly drifted back to sleep.

–

Rory hung up her phone just before she opened the door to Trucheon having ended her second phone call outside. She marched over to the stool where he sat and stood beside him, waiting for him to stand or turn and look at her. She could tell by the slight tense of his shoulders that he knew exactly where she was standing and was contemplating his next move. He decided on turning his head slowly to smirk up at her.

"So, how's Lorelai?" Jess asked cheekily, practically mocking how well he could predict her next step.

She smiled and just nodded, "She's good, sends her love. This is the city of brotherly love or something right? I'm rambling again, _jeez_, what is wrong with me?" She took a deep breath as he looked up at her bemused. "I didn't just call my mom out there, Jess. Ask me again," she requested vaguely.

He narrowed his eyes at her, trying to read her eyes in order to deduct if what he thought she meant was actually true. He licked his lips before asking, "Ask what again?" His voice was low and filled with danger, daring her to fuck this up.

"You _know_ what," she pushed, getting impatient with him already.

He chuckled at her frustration, but gave into her as he usually did, "So, everything is fixed?"

She nodded enthusiastically this time and bit her lip before speaking, "Yeah. Everything is fixed," she assured him, smiling sincerely at him. She put her hands out to him and he took them, smirking his special 'Rory Smirk' at her as he stood up.

They locked eyes as their fingers entwined, bringing memories surging back to them both while he pulled her closer. With their hands linked together on either side of their heads they leaned toward each other let their lips dance lazily together getting reacquainted with the familiar territory. Jess dropped her hands to wrap his arms around her back, pushing her body against his slowly. He was still trying to test the waters. She sighed into the kissed as she let her hands travel to the nape of his neck, her fingers playing with the hair there. She felt him lick her bottom lip and happily parted her lips to him. He deepened their kiss, but pulled away shortly thereafter to rest his forehead on hers.

"I'm glad you're here."

"Me too."

–

A/N: Okay so it's not great, but I'm just glad I got over the hump of my first story back on here. _Please_ leave some reviews so I can get some feedback and continue to write. Love it or hate it—I want to know!

**Peace, Love, & Books,**

_Red_


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